How would you go about “becoming more resilient to external influences on your values”?
I have only one clear example where the general population clearly try to defend their value functions: addictions, especially drugs. Specifically, people are quite afraid of having their value function replaced by “inject as much heroin as possible”. For the case of addictions the main strategy seems to be to avoid exposure.
I don’t think “inject as much heroin as possible” is an accurate description of the value function of heroin addicts. I think opioid addicts are often just acting based off of the value function “I want to feel generally good emotionally and physically, and don’t want to feel really unwell”. But once you’re addicted to opioids the only way to achieve this value in the short term is to take more opioids.
Yeah with powerful chemicals like addictive drugs, avoidance is definitely the best option.
But with cultural/psychological/social influences the effects are both weaker and easier to become resilient to, imo. Empirically, way more stubborn/dogmatic people exist (who stick to their views despite strong social pressures) than people who would resist physical addiction to heroin after being injected with it a few weeks in a row. I think consciously reminding yourself of your values/goals and being mindful of how certain activities could cause unwanted drift goes a long way. People have more control over their reactions to regular social stimuli than they do to powerful substances like opioids, so there’s more room for willpower/conscious resistance/“just deciding” not to be influenced.
How would you go about “becoming more resilient to external influences on your values”?
I have only one clear example where the general population clearly try to defend their value functions: addictions, especially drugs. Specifically, people are quite afraid of having their value function replaced by “inject as much heroin as possible”. For the case of addictions the main strategy seems to be to avoid exposure.
I don’t think “inject as much heroin as possible” is an accurate description of the value function of heroin addicts. I think opioid addicts are often just acting based off of the value function “I want to feel generally good emotionally and physically, and don’t want to feel really unwell”. But once you’re addicted to opioids the only way to achieve this value in the short term is to take more opioids.
My thinking on this is influenced by the recent Kurzgesagt video about fentanyl: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6KnVTYtSc0.
Yeah with powerful chemicals like addictive drugs, avoidance is definitely the best option.
But with cultural/psychological/social influences the effects are both weaker and easier to become resilient to, imo. Empirically, way more stubborn/dogmatic people exist (who stick to their views despite strong social pressures) than people who would resist physical addiction to heroin after being injected with it a few weeks in a row. I think consciously reminding yourself of your values/goals and being mindful of how certain activities could cause unwanted drift goes a long way. People have more control over their reactions to regular social stimuli than they do to powerful substances like opioids, so there’s more room for willpower/conscious resistance/“just deciding” not to be influenced.